


Collide

by Whedonista93



Series: Queen of Dale [4]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, BAMF Buffy Summers, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Family, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25546690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: Buffy's old life collides with the life she's built in Middle Earth.
Relationships: Buffy Summers/Bard the Bowman
Series: Queen of Dale [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577443
Comments: 18
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

“M’lady,” Hamir calls.

Buffy turns with a smile - convincing the man to move to Dale is one of the top three things she’s proudest of in her reign so far - right up there with the army she’s built and the schools she’s established. Only the man’s home country of Rohan can boast finer horses than Dale. “What can I do for you, Hamir?”

“Your guards are lookin’ for ya, lass. Somethin’ about some folks campin’ down by the dragon ruins.”

That catches Buffy’s attention and before she even thinks it through she’s saddling Soldier (the Third - the first had passed away a few years ago and the Second was enjoying a fat and happy retirement) and snapping orders for her personal squadron - a dozen of her best and most trusted fighters - to mount up and meet her at the city gates. Hamir calmly shoves her hands aside, taking over the task of saddling the horse and shoves her lightly toward the armory. She smiles gratefully and goes, tugging and retying the bracers already on her wrists tighter as she does. She whips her tunic off to slide her mithril vest - a coronation gift from Thorin - over her chemise before tugging her tunic back over it and snagging an axe, a bow and quiver, and a few extra daggers off the walls to join the sword already at her waist.

Hamir is already waiting for her outside the stables, Soldier’s reigns in one hand and her leather duster in the other. She swings the jacket around her and herself up into the saddle in easy motions, pecking him on the cheek in thanks as she goes, half her guard riding up right behind her. She nods an acknowledgment to them and spurs Soldier into motion and out the gates of the city in short order. She motions her little company to a halt on the last rise they reach the valley of the lake. She can see the camp - it’s small, she’s guessing only two people.

“Hang back,” she orders.

“My Queen-” Cass begins to protest.

“No protests,” she cuts her second in command off. She adjusts the axe harness attached to Soldier’s saddle, makes sure her bow and quiver are snug against her back, and moves forward. “Just cover me.”

She approaches slowly, but directly. As she gets closer, it becomes apparent she was right, there are only two people in the camp. A man and a woman, from what she can tell. Then she gets in easy sight of the camp and pulls Soldier to a full stop, jaw dropping in shock.

The red-headed woman and the dark haired man at the fire are wearing similar expressions of shock.

Buffy’s mouth opens and closes several times before she manages to croak out two words. “Willow? Xander?”


	2. Chapter 2

Willow recovers first and steps forward tentatively. “Buffy?”

Buffy launches herself off her horse and across the campsite, straight into her friend’s arms. It only takes a moment for Xander to join in on the hug.

Buffy pulls back first. “How are you guys here?”

“Not that it’s not great to see you, Buff, but uh, where is here, exactly?” Xander asks.

Buffy grimaces. “Remember how Anya told us about alternate universes?”

Xander’s eye goes wide. “We’re in another _universe_?”

“Yup. Welcome to Middle Earth. This is the kingdom of Dale. That,” she points to a few stone turrets still standing, “used to be Laketown,” she points down to the dragon’s bones, still visible under the surface of the water, “until that asshole burned it down.”

“Huh.” Xander cocks his head. “Dinosaur or something?”

“Dragon.”

Xander looks far too excited over that. “Cool.”

Buffy rolls her eyes. “Not so much when he’s aiming fire at you.”

“Did you kill it?”

“No. But… story for another time. Why are you guys here? _How_ are you guys here?”

Willow shrugs. “Dawn’s been experimenting with what the Key is capable of. Guess we didn’t quite get the barrier spells right, and _poof_ we’re here.”

Xander nods. “Ran into some old guy in robes and a pointy hat. Said he was a wizard. Told us if anyone could help us it would be in Dale.”

Buffy mutters a curse under her breath.

“Uh, Buff?”

“Carry a staff?”

“Yeah.”

“Gandalf. Can’t believe the asshole sent you guys traipsing across Middle Earth on your own.”

Xander shrugs, goes to scuff his foot, and somehow ends up tripping toward Buffy. Buffy catches him, but can already hear her guards’ horses pounding down the hill. Buffy shoves Xander back upright and then behind her, putting herself between her friends and her squadron.

She rolls her eyes. “He wasn’t attacking me, you idiots, he tripped.”

Most of the squadron has the decency to blush.

Cass clears his throat. “Regardless, we’re here now. How may we be of assistance?”

Buffy shrugs. “Whatever. I know them. They’re friends. They’ll be coming back to Dale with us. They can both ride back with me, you guys get their things.”

Before anyone can question it, Buffy hefts herself into Soldier’s saddle before tugging Willow up, sideways, in front of her, and helping Xander clamber up behind her, and points back toward Dale.

Behind her, Xander chuckles.

“What?”

“Of course you’d end up bossing around soldiers when you land in some medieval society.”

Buffy bites back a grin and decides it’ll be more fun to let her friends find out on their own exactly how many people she bosses around. “How long have you guys been here?”

Willow shrugs. “Maybe a month. You?”

Buffy opens her mouth, then closes it again, suddenly realizing that her friends looks exactly the same as when she left. “Will… how long have I been gone in your world?”

Willow’s nose scrunches up in confusion, then smooths out in thought. “Eighteen months, give or take a bit.”

Buffy inhales sharply and she tenses.

“Buffy?”

She exhales and pulls Soldier’s reigns, halting them just outside sight of the gates of Dale. “I’ve been in Middle Earth for… decades.”

Both of her friends tense.

“You still look the same, though,” Xander says.

She shrugs. “As far as I can tell, I haven’t aged since I got here.”

Willow’s eyes light with curiosity.

She clucks her tongue and Soldier starts forward again. She stops at the top of the hill. “Welcome to Dale.”

Willow beams. “It’s beautiful.”

Buffy nods and doesn’t bother keeping the pride from her voice. “Yeah, it is.”

She nods to the guards at the gates and guides Soldier back to the palace stables, where she finds Hamir sitting outside with his feet propped up on a barrel, carving an apple with a dagger. She rolls her eyes fondly.

He salutes her with an apple slice on the end of his dagger as she hands her friends downs and dismounts. “All’s well then, lass?”

She snags the apple slice off the end of his dagger and bites the end off. “Great.”

He scowls fondly and shoves to his feet, taking Soldier’s reigns and handing her the remaining half of his apple. “See to your guests, lass. I’ll see to Soldier the Third, here.” He drops a fond kiss to her temple - one of the few in the kingdom allowed even close enough to her for such liberties - and saunters into the stables.

Buffy chuckles and draws a dagger of her own, slices the half into quarters and carving the centers out before handing the slices to her friends. “C’mon, let’s go find you guys some real food, baths, and some clean clothes.”

Xander grins. “Sayin’ we stink, Buff?”

“We do,” Willow grimaces before Buffy can retort. “I _am_ starving, but baths first?”

Buffy nods. “Yeah, we can do that.” She spots one of the housekeepers as they step into the kitchens. “Sena!”

Sena turns. “My-”

“Hi!” Buffy cuts her off with a smile. “Can you have a couple baths drawn in my wing? And have a hot meal brought up to Bard’s office in about an hour?”

Sena bows her head. “Immediately.”

“Thank you!”

Buffy tucks her arms into her friends’ and tugs them down halls and up stairs and down more halls too fast for them to track her path. By the time she tugs them into what appears to be the Middle Earth Equivalent of a bathroom, there are two giant tubs filled with steaming water, curtains separating them from each other and the rest of the room. Neither of them waste any time stripping down and sinking into the tub.

Buffy smirks. “I’ll go find you guys some clean clothes. Back in a jiff.”

She heads to Sigrid’s wing, hoping Bard’s eldest is in Dale instead of Erebor today, and knocks before poking her head in. “Hello?”

Sigrid, seated next to her fireplace, looks up from her book. “Buffy! Hi! What was going on with those people down by the lake?”

Buffy steps into the room. “Long story, but they’re friends of mine. Can I borrow a dress?”

“It will be rather large on you.”

Buffy rolls her eyes. “It’s for one of my friends. She’s about your size.”

“Oh, of course!” Sigrid hurries to her room and comes back a few minutes later with an armful - undergarments and socks along with a simple, but elegant blue dress. “I would have grabbed shoes as well, but I don’t know if they would fit her.”

Buffy shakes her head and kisses the younger woman’s cheek. “Her boots are fine, it’s her clothes that are a disaster. This is perfect. Thank you. Dinner in your father’s office in a little more than half an hour if you want to join us.”

Sigrid smirks. “Does da know you’re bringing a supper party to him?”

Buffy smirks back. “Where would the fun be in that?”

She goes to her own room next,where she tosses her bow, quiver, and sword on the bed before kicking her shoes off and shrugging out of her duster. After a brief debate, she shimmies out of her breeches and tosses her tunic and mithril on the bed as well, opting to tug a simple pink dress over her head and lacing it up loosely before she digs through Bard’s drawers until she comes up with a sturdy pair of dark trousers and an old blue tunic Bard’s never been particularly fond of, then follows Sigrid’s example and snags underwear and socks as well. She pulls fresh socks on - the floors of the palace are cold this time of year - but doesn’t bother with shoes as she leaves the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Willow and Xander are both nearly dozing in their sudsy tubs when she returns. “Rise and shine sleeping beauties!” They grumble back at her and she laughs as she sets the piles of clothes on stools near their tubs. “Come on. Food.”

She notices Xander’s eyepatch resting on a little table next to various soaps and the like and frowns at the worn padding. She snatches it up, ignoring Xander’s half hearted protests, and tears off the remaining padding before digging a needle and thread out of a pouch at her waist and pilfering some of the soft linens used as wash cloths and making quick work of stitching a new lining in. Sigrid never has managed to really teach her to sew, but she can handle a few decent stitches.

Xander, dressed in her husband’s clothes and sitting on the stool to tug the socks on, smiles softly when she hands it back to him. “Thanks, Buff.”

She shrugs. “Didn’t look comfortable.”

“Wasn’t.”

Willow emerges, fully dressed, and pads toward them on socked feet. “Buffy, do you mind helping me with the laces?” She turns and lifts her damp hair away from her back.

“Oh, yeah!” Buffy makes quick work of the laces, then finds a comb and makes equally quick work of braiding the red locks back and tying it off. “Now, food.”

A young woman with messy curls pulled back into a bun and an infectious smile meets them in the hall. “I was looking for you! Sigrid said we’re taking supper in da’s office?”

Buffy nods. “Yeah, sweetie. Mind finding your brothers and meeting us there?”

“Of course!” The young woman all but bounces off.

“Make sure they wash their hands!” Buffy calls after her.

Her friends just follow her in bemused silence. The so-called office she leads them to more resembles a library, with it’s massive bookshelves towering up every available wallspace, happily crackling fireplace, and massive window, overlooking a single mountain, along one wall. A man, dark-haired with the slightest bit of gray at the temples, is hunched over a desk near the window. A soft expression crosses Buffy’s face before she rolls her eyes, pads silently across the room, and yanks the man’s chair back, ignoring his indignant yelp and planting herself in his lap.

She kisses him soundly and his annoyance visibly melts away. “Hi.”

He chuckles down at her. “I take it you had a good day.”

“I had a strange day.” She stands, and tugs him to his feet.

He looks up as he stands, finally noticing the other two people in the room. “Hello.” He looks down at Buffy. “Who are our guests, my love?”

“Bard, these are my best friends, Willow and Xander. Will, Xan, my husband, Bard.”

Bard’s eyebrows go up. “Willow and Xander?”

Buffy nods. “Yeah, that Willow and Xander.”

“I see what you mean by strange day.”

“Husband?!” Willow and Xander exclaim at once.

Buffy is saved from answering by the door flinging open and a group of people stumbling in, followed more sedately by a few of the kitchen staff bearing heavily laden trays, which they set down silently before retreating. The remaining group are staring at Willow and Xander with unabashed curiosity.

Buffy whistles sharply. “Okay, everyone grab food and a seat.”

What follows is a mad flurry of activity that somehow ends up with Xander seated in a comfy wingback right in front of the fire with Willow at his feet, both holding plates containing steaming bowls of stew, hunks of bread, and some kind of steaming vegetables along with tankards of ale, and everyone else sprawled around the fireplace on or near other pieces of furniture. Buffy and Bard are nearly mimicking their position directly across from them.

Once everyone’s apparently settled, Buffy whistles again. “Alright… so…” she points vaguely above her. “Bard, husband.” She points to a tall, slim, elegant looking young woman. “His oldest daughter Sigrid.” Points to a tall, athletically built young man that looks like Bard with lighter hair and softer features. “His son Bain.” She points to the bright-eyed young woman from the hall. “And his youngest daughter Tilda.” Then she points to a pair of teenage boys wrestling over the plate of bread between them. She clears her throat and they spring apart sheepishly. “And these hellions are our twins.” She rolls her eyes and points to the one nearest her - the one with her green eyes and Bard’s dark curls. “Lavelle Anyan.” She points to the boy closer to Willow and Xander - this one with his father’s gray eyes, but his mother's sandy waves. “And Rupert Will.” She takes a deep breath. “This is my family. Guys, these are my friends, Willow and Xander.”

Rupert perks up. “The ones we were named after?”

Buffy nods. “Two of them, yes.”

Willow blinks rapidly, willing the tears away. “You named your kids after us?”

“Of course! You guys, Anya, Giles, and Spike.”

“Still think you shoulda just used Spike,” Rupert mutters.

Buffy grins indulgently. “Then that would’ve left Willow out, and she’s important.”

Rupert eyes her warily, with the kind of disdain only a teenager can manage.

“Before you open your mouth and stick your foot in it, remember that she has _at least_ as much power as every wizard you’ve met.”

Rupert pales, snaps his mouth shut, then digs into his stew.

Cass steps in shortly after. He bows slightly. “My Queen. Where would you like your guest’s belongings placed?”

Xander spews ale, narrowly missing Willow’s head. “ _Queen_?”


	4. Chapter 4

Xander shakes his head in wonder. “You’ve built a hell of a life here, Buff.”

Buffy nods. “Yeah, I have.” She frowns. “Lavelle, unless you plan on cleaning every piece in the armory, I suggest you put that mace down  _ now _ .”

Lavelle sheepishly returns the mace to the weapons rack. 

Xander raises his eyebrow at Buffy.

Buffy chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Rupert can fight with any weapon you put in his hands. Lavelle is almost unbeatable with a sword or a bow, but anything else… he usually just hurts himself.”

“That’s probably what you get for naming him after me,” Xander scoffs.

Buffy shrugs. “He can still fight. And he’s got the biggest heart…” She nudges Xander’s shoulder. “A lot like his namesake.”

“Mama?”

Buffy turns toward Lavelle’s voice. “Yeah, sweetheart?”

Lavelle shuffles into the meager light the lanterns cast in the stables.

Buffy frowns and steps out of Soldier’s stall to grab her son’s hands. “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

Lavelle grips her hands back tightly. “Are your friends going to take you away?”

Buffy shakes her head and pulls him fully into her arms. “No! Oh, sweetheart. Is that why you won’t talk to them?”

Lavelle shrugs.

Buffy chucks his chin up. “Powers! When did you get so much taller than me?”

Lavelle finally cracks a smile. “When I was twelve.”

Buffy laughs. “Oh, hush, you.” She tilts her head back toward the stable. “Wanna go for a ride?”

He gives her a dubious expression. “It’s dark.”

Buffy grins. “Scared of a few orcs?”

“Cass tells me you took Lavelle hunting the other night,” Bard says casually, carding his fingers through her hair where her head is pillowed on his chest.

“Snitch,” Buffy grumbles.

“You worry him, my love.”

Buffy shrugs. “I can take care of myself.”

“And everyone knows that, dearest, but you are loved by your people, and they want to take care of you as well.”

Buffy hums noncommittally.

“The children are rather enamored of your friends.”

Buffy smiles softly. “I had forgotten how much I missed them.”

Bard frowns.

Buffy smacks his chest gently. “You’re frowning too loud.”

“Are you unhappy here?”

Buffy hefts herself up a bit, leaning her elbow on his chest and frowning down at him.

His expression is painfully sincere.

Buffy leans down to press a kiss to his lips. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

Bard nods, eyes shining happily. “But you still miss parts of your old life.”

Buffy nods back. “Yes. That doesn’t mean I want to go back to it. I’ve built so much here. My children are here.  _ You _ are here. Even if I miss my old life… I don’t miss it enough to leave this one.Why does everyone think I’m going to leave? I would not abandon my family.”

Bard shakes his head. “It is not so much that we believe you willing to abandon your family as that we would not begrudge you happiness. If going back to your old life brought you that happiness then w-”

Buffy presses her mouth to his, effectively cutting him off. “I am perfectly happy here, husband.”

“I am glad to hear it, wife.”

Bard curls his hand around the back of her neck. “Now, where were we?”

Willow finds Buffy in the training yard, sparring with Bain, Lavelle, and Rupert, and settles down on the ground to watch.

Buffy spins away from one of their blades and offers a bright smile and cheery wave when she spots Willow. She somehow extricates herself from the fight and turns the boys on each other before plopping down next to Willow. “What’s up?”

Willow nods toward the boys. “They’re good.”

Buffy beams proudly. “Yeah, they are.” She bumps Willow’s shoulder. “But you didn’t find me to watch my sons sword fight.”

Willow grimaces. “Buffy, it’s amazing here, and clearly you’ve made a home and life, but…”

Buffy smiles back sadly. “But you and Xander don’t belong here.”

Willow shakes her head. “No, we don’t. Do you know how to get us home?”

Buffy shakes her head. “No.”

Willow’s face falls.

“But we’ll figure it out.”


	5. Chapter 5

Buffy falls asleep tangled up with Xander and Willow in front of the fireplace in her husband’s office and wakes up staring at metal cross beams in what appears to be a warehouse. She sits up in a sudden panic. “Xander! Willow!”

Beside her, her friends rouse, then go wide eyed.

Willow figures it out first. “Wait. This where Dawn was experimenting with-” she spins around. “Dawn!”

Buffy spins and follows her friend's gaze and sure enough, her sister is standing there, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “Buffy?”

Buffy catches her sister when the taller woman launches herself into her arms, and squeezes her tightly.

Dawn pulls back, teary eyed, without releasing Buffy’s hands. She laughs wetly. “What are you wearing?”

Buffy’s initial panic returns tenfold and she snatches her hands free. “No. No. Why am I here? How did I get… no!”

“Buffy? Dawn steps forward, clearly worried.

Buffy steps further back, reaches for the pendant at her neck. “Yavanna. Yavanna… _Yavanna, please_ ,” she begs, fighting off the hyperventilation threatening to overtake her. “I don’t belong here anymore, _please_ , Yavanna.”

Nothing happens.


	6. Chapter 6

While part of her is thrilled to see everyone again, a much bigger part of her knows this isn’t her world, not really, not anymore, and she tries, _desperately_ , to get back. Most of her friends understand.

Spike and Anya, who had helped her get there in the first place. Anya scours texts and summons demons across several realms, trying to find a way for Buffy to get back home. Spike fights her when her frustrations overwhelm her, and holds her when she breaks down in tears.

Willow and Xander, who had met her family, who had seen the love all her people had for her, and the respect her soldiers had for her. Xander builds her mockups of her kingdom out of popsicle sticks and pebbles. Willow uses magic to pull images of her family from her memory and put them to paper.

Faith doesn’t understand _why_ , but she is intimately familiar with the desperation barely contained under the other Slayer’s skin. She spars with the older Slayer, takes her patrolling. She even plays interference with the others on Buffy’s bad days.

Dawn doesn’t get it. She fights and cries against Buffy’s every effort. And she flatly refuses to lend the Key’s abilities.

Giles… Giles doesn’t get it until an offhand comment about destiny that sends Buffy over the edge.

“Screw destiny!” Buffy snarls. “I’ve given destiny more than it was due! Dale was my real destiny. Dale was my legacy. My children, _gods, my children_ , Giles. That’s my destiny. They’re my legacy. Sigrid and Bain and Tilda and Lavelle and Rupert. My boys, Lavelle and Rupert, they’re only fifteen, Giles! And I _left_ them. I left them.” She breaks down then, _really_ breaks down, just slumping to the ground and sobbing.

Giles sinks down next to her. “You never mentioned children.”

Buffy sniffles. “Why should it matter?”

“It shouldn’t. I should have just taken you at your judgment and desire and I didn’t and there’s no excuse for that. I’m sorry.”

Buffy shrugs.

“Rupert?”

She sniffles again. “Yeah, I named him after you, asshole.”

“Five children… and fifteen year old boys? Buffy, how long were you in that world?”

Buffy sits up a bit, crosses her legs and wipes her eyes. “Sigrid, Bain, and Tilda aren’t actually mine, but they were still young when I met them… Tilda especially. I’m the only mom she’s ever had. Lavelle and Rupert, though… yeah, just turned fifteen at the end of summer… I, sorry, uh, I was there decades, Giles. I fought a war. I fought a fucking _dragon_. I built a kingdom and an army. I raised a family...”

“Oh, my dear....”

“Don’t patronize me, Giles… at this point I’m closer to your age than any of theirs. I’m a wife and a mother. I’m a fucking _queen_. I’m the general of one of the greatest armies in Middle Earth and now… gods, why am I stuck back here?”

Giles wraps an arm around her shoulders. “I was not patronizing. I am truly sorry.”


End file.
